| As research continues to advance knowledge about nursing practices and medical device technologies, the development of continued nursing education for intensive care nurses needs to adapt to remain current in a continuously and rapid changing environment. A qualitative research methodology was used to explore the motivators and barriers to learning as perceived by the intensive care nurse during an imposed medical device implementation. The theoretical framework centered around the adult learning theory of Knowles, the change theory of Lewins, and Benner's novice to expert nursing development theory. Data were collected through individual interviews and journaling. Throughout the data collection, a constant comparative analysis was used to generate themes and identify patterns within the data. The data findings relevant to learning motivators included learning technologies, assisting others, career and advancement, mandatory education, and relevance to profession. Whereas, the barriers to learning included medical vendor and equipment issues, learning modalities, resistance to change, assumption about prior knowledge and skills, relevance to job, time issues, and lack of nursing input during imposed medical device implementations. One implication for future practice is for hospitals to evaluate imposed education to assure that it is relevant to the needs of the learner. Another implication for future practice would be the inclusion of the nurses throughout the process of implementing change. A recommendation for future research would be how inclusion of nurses throughout the process of change impacts the development of nursing skills and expertise and influences barriers to learning. |
